BHS girls soccer blows past Tehachapi in opener

Wednesday

Dec 4, 2013 at 5:31 PM

RIDGECREST — In a wind-blown season opener, the Burroughs girls soccer team kicked off its 2013-14 campaign with a blowout win. The Burros beat Tehachapi 6-1 at Sherman E. Burroughs Stadium on Tuesday, sparked by four goals from forward Rachelle Schiller.

By Anthony GentileSPORTS EDITORagentile@ridgecrestca.com

RIDGECREST — In a wind-blown season opener, the Burroughs girls soccer team kicked off its 2013-14 campaign with a blowout win. The Burros beat Tehachapi 6-1 at Sherman E. Burroughs Stadium on Tuesday, sparked by four goals from forward Rachelle Schiller.“I’m really happy and impressed with the way they came out to begin the season,” Burros head coach Kelly Blake said. “We were hoping to do the simple things correctly — get a good first touch on the ball and get the ball on the ground because of the wind. They did just that, and lucky for us we were finishing well.”Burroughs (1-0) controlled play from the opening kickoff, and didn’t take long to strike first. After Tehachapi (0-1) committed a hand ball in its own box, Rachelle Schiller calmly converted a penalty kick to give the Burros an early 1-0 lead.Later in the first half, Burroughs scored three goals in a five-minute span to grab control of the match. Midfielder Joelle Steichen began the burst by curling a corner kick directly into the net in the 18th minute.“Usually she’s chipping that ball in trying to get it to the players up top so they can get a body on it and head it in,” Blake said. “She said she kind of reached for it, and maybe in her reaching she ended up getting the right side of the ball.”In the 20th minute, Rachelle Schiller scored her second by dribbling into the box and beating Tehachapi’s goalkeeper on her near side with a driven shot. Three minutes after that, midfielder Bailey Goedert pounced on a rebound off of a free kick by forward Meagan Schiller to put Burroughs up by four goals.“Bailey followed up that free kick, and that’s something that we have really been harping on — to follow those up and get on the ball,” Blake said. Burroughs led 4-0 at the break after a dominant first half. The Burros controlled possession with a strong wind at their backs, and Tehachapi didn’t have a shot on goal in the opening 45 minutes.“It was about getting the ball on the ground — their passing was helping them a lot,” Blake said. “They made sure they were connecting the passes and keeping the ball out of the wind.”The second half was played more evenly, and Tehachapi broke through for its first and only goal of the game in the 61st minute. Rachelle Schiller punctuated Burroughs’ season-opening victory with goals in the 81st and 84th minutes — the last goal was a one-on-one with the Warriors’ goalkeeper set up by a pinpoint through ball from midfielder Alyssa Morales.Rachelle Schiller played basketball at Burroughs as a junior last winter, and her return to the pitch on Tuesday couldn’t have gone much better. The senior adds a different dimension to the Burros’ attack, and she showed that in her four-goal outburst against Tehachapi.“She’s out there proving that she’s back playing soccer for Burroughs,” Blake said. “It’s great to have her back out there — not only is she scoring goals, but she was passing the ball well, distributing really well and working hard off of the ball.” In the midfield, Steichen controlled play and helped Burroughs dominate possession against Tehachapi. Blake said the senior has improved her control on the ball from last season. “It’s very evident that her first touch is improved from last year, and that she can get the ball at her feet, turn, and distribute the ball,” Blake said.Defensively, Burroughs stifled the Warriors’ attack and nearly pitched a shut out. The Burros’ defense anchored by sweeper Leah Ostermann also got solid play in the middle from stopper Brianna Malone, who was playing her first game in the back after playing in the midfield last season.“We got tested in that second half a little bit more,” Blake said. “Overall the defense did a really good job.”Burroughs returns to action on Thursday in a non-league match at Antelope Valley. Kickoff is at 3 p.m.